The socialization of a Medical School faculty

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Academic Careers
• Faculty Retention

Background:

• Understanding faculty socialization is crucial for medical school success.
• Factors influencing retention and attrition of M.D.s and Ph.D.s in academia are complex.
• Previous research often overlooks the nuanced career paths of medical and doctoral faculty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the socialization processes for M.D.s and Ph.D.s entering academic medical roles.
• To identify key factors affecting faculty retention and attrition within a medical school setting.
• To compare the academic integration and norm adoption between M.D. and Ph.D. faculty.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 350 regular faculty members at a midwestern university medical school.
• Collected data on career backgrounds, attitudes, and organizational perceptions.
• Utilized Sherlock and Morris' paradigm as the theoretical framework.

Main Results:

• Latent variables were found to be more significant than manifest variables in faculty socialization.
• M.D.s often made a late decision to pursue academic careers, yet experienced high colleague acceptance.
• Ph.D.s demonstrated greater adoption of university professoriat norms compared to M.D.s.
• High goal agreement was observed between basic science and clinical faculty.

Conclusions:

• Faculty socialization in medical schools is influenced by both overt and subtle factors.
• The career decisions and integration of M.D. and Ph.D. faculty into academia present distinct patterns.
• Alignment in goals between basic science and clinical faculty supports a cohesive academic environment.